New Jersey Devils assistant GM has shown faith in interesting prospect

The New Jersey Devils have an interesting, yet underwhelming prospect pool. They have graduated all of their really exciting prospects, and they are betting on upside for a few of them just to make the NHL. The only first-round pick left in the system, outside of Alexander Command, whom they drafted last month, is Anton Silayev. Other high-profile prospects include Seamus Casey, Ben Kevan, and Mikhail Yegorov. 

There are a ton of prospects who could turn into interesting players down the line. Conrad Fondrk has an injury history, but he could turn into something if things fall the right way. Lenni Hameenaho has already had some NHL experience, and while he fell off, the that might just be a rookie wall that won’t be in place next season. Shane Lachance seems to have been forgotten a little bit, but he has a ton of upside still. 

One player we’ve been high on is Xavier Parent. He broke a record for goals in consecutive games last season. In every season of his development, he’s shown a ton of growth. 

He finally got a few NHL games under his belt. He didn’t score a goal, but he at least looked like he belonged. He had the speed to keep up, but his on-ice results were terrible. It was a learning experience, and he was clearly too young to be there, but it’s good to have the experience. 

Xavier Parent can be good, but this is the year to prove it

This week, Utica Comets GM and new Devils assistant GM Brendan Birch gave his first interview in his new job, and he mentioned Parent as a player to watch. 

"I’m really excited about the roster. We’ve made some bets at both the NHL and AHL level. We’ve added guys who we think will be great recalls and will push for an NHL job. We have some great pieces already in place in Utica in some younger prospects like Matyas Melovsky and Xavier Parent. There are also some signings we’ve made, guys like Gabe Klassen and Jeremy Wilmer, who we think have a lot of upside and just need time to develop."

Brendan Birch, Utica Comets GM

Parent has been good in the AHL, but he has to take another three steps forward to show he has NHL upside. He's already 25 years old. It's going to be now or never for Parent, but it appears that his opportunity is "now."

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